Tray and frame.



W. A. DUNLAP.

TRAY AND FRA'ME.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 5. 1915.

1,270,273. Patented J une 25, 1918.

2 shins-shin I.

FIG. 4

WITNESSES WW WM W. A. DUNLAP.

TRAY AND FRAME.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 5. law.

Patented Jimo 25, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

5 FIG. 7'

OR w wrruzssss 2 6%. Kwew Wt WILLIAM A. DUNLAP, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

TRAY AND FRAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 25, 1918.

Application filed May 5, 1915. Serial No. 26,098.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. DUNLAP, a citizen of the United States and resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Trays and Frames; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to improvement in trays or table covers adapted to be used with infants high chairs or other furniture, and has for its object the provision of a tray or cover which may be easily removed from or attached to the chair or other piece of furniture, and which may be readily cleaned and kept entirely sanitary.

A further object is to so attach supporting arms to the tray for securing the same to the chair or other piece of furniture, that said tray and arms may be folded together compactly for shipment. A further object is to so attach the tray to its supporting arms that it may not he accidentally detached therefrom by the child.

With these and other objects in view, as will hereafter appear, the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts, preferred embodiments of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of an infants chair with a tray embodying the invention attached thereto. Fig. 2 is an un derside view of the tray and the attaching arms; Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 Fig. 2; Fig. t is a sectional view on the line 4C4L, Fig. 2; Fig. 5 indicates the case in which the supporting arms and tray may be folded together for shipment; Fig. 6 is a sectional view through the joint be tween the tray supporting arms and the supporting frame for the tray; Figs. 7 to 12 inclusive comprise underside views and de tail sectional views illustrating modified forms of the supporting and attaching means for the tray.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, the infants chair 1 may be of any desired construction and provided with the arms 2. The tray 3, which, together with the means for supporting and securing the same-forms the subject matter of this invention, may be stamped up from sheet steel and coated with enamel in the usual manner. The plane of the tray may, if desired, be provided with depressed food receptacles -1- and 5 formed therein during the stamping operation, and at the same time an upturned shoulder 6 may be formed around the periphery of the tray to prevent accidental displacement of food or other articles on the tray. This shoulder 6 may be continued in a more or less flat arm 7 which terminates in a depending flange 8. This shoulder and flange not only serves the functions specified. but also greatly strengthens the tray and the depending flange 6 and entirely conceals the supporting frame. This supporting frame is designated at 9 and consists preferably of a bow-shaped portion of band or strip metal, such as steel, which follows substantially the periphery of the sides and front of the tray, as shown in Fig. 2, and is provided with a front elf-set 10 which may engage the depending flange 8 of the tray and an inturned lip 11 formed to extend inwardly from the bottom of the depending flange 8. The rear ends of the bow-shaped member 9 are provided with off-sets 12 which also engage within the inturned lip 11. Preferably riveted. as at 13 to the bow shaped member 9 of the frame. is a complemental frame member 14; which follows substantially the periphery of the sides and rear of the tray bocly,tliougli somewhat removed :from the rear. leaving a space 15 whereby the tray may be pushed forward in order to detach the front offset 10 of the frame from engagement with the lip 11 of the tray. The first frame member is preferably off-set at 16 somewhat to permit the rearwardly extending arms of said frame member to be swung inwardly or toward each other in order to disengage the off-sets 12 from the lip 11 of the tray. Also the rear ends of the arms of the first frame member 9 are bent inwardly toward each other at 17 to form shoulders engaging the depending flange 8 at the rear of the tray, said depending flange 8 near these points is notched, as at 18, to receive the extreme rear ends 19 of the frame arms, and said notches are sulliciently wide to permit of the inward swinging of said arms to detach the tray from the frame.

To the extreme rear ends 19 of the frame member 9 are pivoted supporting and securing arms 20, which in turn are pivoted to the back of the chair at 21. The pivots between the frame arms and the supporting arms 20 are illustrated in detail in Fig. 6 and may consist of short screw bolts 22 and the ends 19 of the frame arms are each provided with ofi'sets 23 adapted to engageslots 2% through notches 18 in the rear corners of the depending flange 8. The second tray member 14 may be substantially as hereinbefore described in the first six figures. In Figs. 9 and 10, the construction is substanin the supporting arms 20, which hold the tially the same as shown in Figs. 7 and 8,

except that the looking or socket members frame and the supporting arms in alinemerit. This form of joint is provided for the reason that when the tray is'to be packed for shipment the screw bolts 22 may be loosened and the supporting arms 20 folded over the tray, as indicated in Fig. 5. When, however, the tray is mounted on the chair, the off-sets or lugs 23 at the rear end of the frame arms are engaged in the slots 2-} in the supporting arms 20 and the screws 22 are tightened up to hold the frame and supporting arms 20 rigidly in position.

To mount the tray upon its frame, it is simply laid over the frame and pushed back until the front offset 10 of the frame engages within the inturned lip 11 of the depending flange 8 of the tray, the rear arms of the frame are then sprung together and snapped into the slots 18, and are then permitted to spring apart until the off-sets 12 of the frame arms engage within the inturned lip 11 of the depending flange 8 of the tray.

It will be seen therefore that the tray y can neither be pushed forward or backward relatively to the frame 9 since the frame ofl-set 10 at the front engages the depending flanges 8, and the shoulder 17 at the rear of the frame arms engage the rear corners of the depending flange 8.- Nor can: the tray be kicked or otherwise accidentally lifted upwardly off the frame since the front offset 10 and the rear off-sets 12 of the frame are engaged within and above the inturned lip 11 of the tray.

It will be seen, therefore, that although the tray may be readily and easily mounted upon the supporting frame and may be removed therefrom for cleaning or for getting the tray out of the way, said tray cannot be accidentally removed from the frame. Moreover, when the tray is in use, its supporting frame is supported on the outer ends of the arms of the chair and when it is desired to get the entire paraphernalia out of the way, it may be swung upward and ba ckward by means of the supporting arms 20 on the pivot-s 21, by which the arms are secured to the back of the chair.

In the modified form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, the tray 3 has secured to its depending flange 8, a plurality of socket or looking members 25, and the frame member 9 is provided with a plurality of locking studs 26, which may be thrust or swung into the sockets of said members 25 after the tray has been laid upon the frame with its rear arms extending 25 are dispensed with and the locking studs 26 are thrust directly into sockets or apertures 27 in the depending flange 8 of the trays 3 In Figs. 11 and 12, the arrangement shown in Figs. 9 and 10 is reversed, and? the depending flange 8 of the tray 3 is pro vided with studs 26", which snap into sockets 27 of the frame member 9 In other respects the constructions illustratedin Figs. 7 to 12 are substantially the same as that shown in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive.

While I have herein described several preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that the same may be altered in details and relative arrangement of parts within the scope of the'appended claims.

What I claim is: y

1'. The combination with a tray having a depending flange and an inturned lip at the base of said flange, of a supporting frame having locking'parts adapted to be sprung into engagement with said flange, and within said lip to prevent accidental lifting of the tray ofl' of said frame.

2. The combination with a tray having a depending flange, said flange having notches at each side at the rear of said tray, of a supporting frame having a locking por tion adapted to engage said flange at the front of the tray, and having off-set shoulders adapted to be sprung into engagement with said notches and into engagement with the portions of said depending flange adjacent said notches.

3. The combination with a traydiaving a depending flange, said flange having inturned portions at the front and rear of said tray, respectively, of a supporting frame having a part adapted to engage within said flange and within said inturned part at the front of the tray, and having shoul ders adapted to engage within said flange, and within the inturned portions thereof adjacent the rear corners of said tray.

4. The combination wit-h a tray having a depending flange, said flange having inturned portions at the front, and at the rear corners of the tray respectively, said de pending flange having also notches adja cent said inturned portions respectively at the rear of said tray, a supporting frame having a body portion adapted to engage beneath the body of the tray and to engage said depending flange at the front of said tray and also to engage within the inturned portion of said flange at the same point,

said frame having also resilient arms adapt- In testimony whereof, I the said WILLIAM ed to be snapped Within said notches at the A. DUNLAP have hereunto set my hand. rear of the tray, each of sand arms havlng WILLIAM A. DUNLAP.

off-sets adapted to engage Within the depending flange and Within the inturned portions Witnesses: respectively of said flange at the rear cor- JOHN F. W1LL, ners of the tray. J. R. KELLER.

60910:: of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Baton,

Washington, D. 0." 

